Between introvert and extrovert: 9 signs that you are ambivert

We like to pigeonhole people and things: male or female, good or bad, introverted or extroverted. Even though this black-and-white thinking makes many things easier for our brains, it doesn't do justice to the complexity of our world. Neither in terms of gender roles nor in terms of human personality.

Extraversion is one of the personality traits of the "Big Five" model, which psychologists developed in the 1930s. These also include conscientiousness, openness to new experiences, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Extraversion describes how sociable we are. Introverts tend to draw their energy from being alone; they are often reserved and quiet. However, the latter doesn't always have to be the case. There are introverts who are quite talkative and don't necessarily appear shy. What's more important here is how much time they are comfortable and, above all, willing to spend alone. Extroverts, in turn, recharge their batteries by being with others. They enjoy being in company and have no problem being the center of attention.

Very few people are purely introverted or extroverted

However, extraversion isn't a rigid either/or, but rather a range. Most of us have elements of both personality types within us. Some lie somewhere in the middle between introverts and extroverts—they are ambiverts. US psychologist Adam Grant of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has dedicated a study to this phenomenon. He discovered that about two-thirds of people are not clearly introverted or extroverted.

Ambiverts have the great advantage of being able to adapt to situations and people. In larger groups, when the environment calls for it, they can be louder and enjoy the company. At the same time, however, they are comfortable being alone and don't need constant outside input. Are you one of those ambiverts? These signs will give you some insight.

9 characteristics of ambiverts

1. You're good at completing tasks and projects both alone and in a group. You're comfortable with both.
2. You don't mind social events with lots of people, but you quickly get fed up with too much company.
3. Being the center of attention can be nice sometimes, but you wouldn't want it all the time.
4. Some people consider you very quiet, while others would describe you as very sociable. It all depends on the context in which they experience you.
5. You don't have to be busy all the time, but too much rest will bore you in the long run.
6. You can get lost in your own thoughts just as easily as in a good conversation.
7. Small talk comes easily to you, but you get bored quickly.
8. When it comes to trusting other people, you are sometimes rather skeptical, but in other situations you trust them quite quickly.
9. Spending too much time alone will eventually bore you. But you'll also sometimes feel exhausted if you spend too much time with other people.

Do you recognize yourself in one or more of these statements? Then you're probably neither a pure introvert nor an extrovert, but somewhere in between. Enjoy this privileged position – your adaptability makes it easy for you to socialize with others. At the same time, you've also learned to enjoy time alone and draw energy from it. It doesn't get any better than that, does it?

mbl Brigitte

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